splay
splay — 形容詞
- splaypositive
- splayercomparative
- splayestsuperlative
1. Describes a body part — such as a foot, elbow, or knee — that points away from t
外翻的
肢體向外張開的姿勢
Describes a body part — such as a foot, elbow, or knee — that points away from the body's centre line instead of facing straight forward.
Kofi's splay feet turned outward so much that his shoes wore down on the inner edge.
Kofi 的外翻腳嚴重向外偏，導致他的鞋內側磨損得很厲害。
splay + noun: splay feet
The physiotherapist noticed the toddler's splay knees and recommended special exercises.
物理治療師注意到那幼兒的外翻膝，建議做一些特定的運動來改善。
attributive use before body-part noun
Her splay elbows stuck out awkwardly as she tried to balance the tray of drinks.
她那雙外翻的肘部在她試圖端穩托盤時顯得格外笨拙。
Ducklings have naturally splay legs that straighten as they grow older and stronger.
小鴨出生時雙腿自然外翻，隨著長大才會逐漸變直變強壯。
- turned out
more common in everyday speech, especially in dance or posture ('turned-out feet')
- outward-facing
neutral descriptive term, less specific to body parts
文法句型
attributive use before a noun (splay feet, splay elbows)
用法筆記
Attributive only — placed before a noun, not after a linking verb ('the feet are splay' ❌). The past participle 'splayed' is more common in predicate position.
常見錯誤
2. Clumsy in shape or movement; lacking grace or elegance in form or manner.
笨拙的
形狀或動作笨重不優美
Clumsy in shape or movement; lacking grace or elegance in form or manner.
The old wardrobe had a splay, bulky appearance that did not suit the modern room.
那舊衣櫃外型笨重粗大，與現代風格房間很不搭。
His splay, heavy-footed walk shook the floorboards as he crossed the wooden hallway.
他走路姿勢笨拙沉重，踩得木頭走廊的木板嘎嘎作響。
The sculpture was criticised for its splay proportions and off-centre balance.
那件雕塑因比例笨拙且重心失衡而受到批評。
Amara found the puppy's splay, uncoordinated movements endearing rather than awkward.
Amara 覺得小狗那笨拙又不協調的動作很可愛，一點也不難看。
文法句型
attributive use before a noun
用法筆記
This sense is markedly literary or formal. In everyday conversation, 'clumsy,' 'awkward,' or 'ungainly' are preferred. The word carries a mildly negative or critical tone.
常見錯誤
splay — 名詞
1. An angled surface cut into the side of a door or window opening, creating a slan
斜面
門窗邊框向外傾斜的面
An angled surface cut into the side of a door or window opening, creating a slanted frame that makes the opening appear wider and lets in more light.
The stone splay of the old church window measured nearly a metre on each side.
那座古老教堂窗戶的石砌斜面每邊將近一公尺寬。
Haruto designed a wide splay around the front door to brighten the dim hallway.
Haruto 在大門周圍設計了寬闊的斜面，讓陰暗的門廳明亮起來。
the + splay + preposition: splay around [an opening]
Restoring the medieval splay required cutting new stone blocks at a precise forty-five-degree angle.
修復中世紀的斜面需要以精確的四十五度角切割新的石塊。
The architect explained how the splay of each window affects the amount of sunlight entering the room.
建築師解釋了每個窗戶的斜面如何影響進入室內的陽光量。
文法句型
the splay of a [door/window/frame]
用法筆記
Specialist architectural term. Not common in everyday English. Most frequently encountered in descriptions of historic or stone-built buildings.
常見錯誤
2. The action or state of spreading outward; a widening or fanning-out of parts awa
展開；擴展
向外伸展或擴張的狀態
The action or state of spreading outward; a widening or fanning-out of parts away from each other.
The splay of the tree's roots above ground made it hard to mow the lawn underneath.
樹根在地面上四處展開，使得樹下的草坪很難修剪。
Nadia admired the graceful splay of the peacock's tail feathers in the afternoon sunlight.
Nadia 欣賞著孔雀尾羽在午後陽光下優雅展開的姿態。
the splay of + noun: describing outward spread
The splay of the river delta created a wide fan of waterways across the plain.
河流三角洲向外擴展，在平原上形成一片寬闊的水道網絡。
Diego measured the splay of the chair legs to make sure the replacement base would fit.
Diego 量了椅子腳的展開寬度，以確保新的底座能裝得上去。
- narrowing
the opposite of spreading outward
- contraction
the action of drawing inward or becoming smaller
文法句型
the splay of [something]
用法筆記
This sense is abstract — it describes the concept or quality of being spread out, rather than a specific physical object. Often used with 'of' to specify what is spreading.
splay — 動詞
- splaypresent simple I / you / we / they
- splayshe / she / it
- splayedpast simple
- splaying-ing form
1. To move body parts such as fingers, legs, or wings away from each other so that
張開；叉開
將四肢或物體向外分開
To move body parts such as fingers, legs, or wings away from each other so that they are spread wide apart, or to spread something out across a surface.
Mei-Lin splayed her fingers across the piano keys and played the opening chord.
Mei-Lin 張開手指按在鋼琴琴鍵上，彈出了第一個和弦。
transitive: splay + object + prepositional phrase
The cat splayed its back legs and stretched out on the warm kitchen floor tiles.
那隻貓叉開後腿，在溫暖的廚房地磚上伸了個懶腰。
Omar splayed the map across the car bonnet so everyone could see the route at once.
Omar 把地圖攤開在汽車引擎蓋上，讓每個人都能同時看到路線。
The injured bird's wings splayed awkwardly as it tried to lift itself off the ground.
那隻受傷的鳥笨拙地張開翅膀，試圖從地面飛起來。
After the heavy rain, the cardboard boxes splayed open and their contents spilled everywhere.
大雨過後，那些紙箱被撐得裂開來，裡面的東西灑了一地。
文法句型
splay + object (fingers/legs/wings)
splay + preposition (on/over/across)
splay + adverb (wide/apart/outward)
用法筆記
Common with both a direct object ('splay your fingers') and without ('his legs splayed'). The intransitive use often suggests an accidental or involuntary spreading. Frequently followed by adverbs like 'wide,' 'apart,' or 'outward.'